Vaporized
by saturns
Summary: Shortly after the events of T&T, a change in travel plans puts Maya directly at the center of a serious traffic accident. She survives, but she's left in a coma for several months while Phoenix takes on his final trial and its aftermath. Phoenix is devastated and visits her daily until she recovers but when she wakes, he realizes that something is very wrong. PWKM fill.
1. Prologue

A/N: This was originally written for the kink meme and evolved into a much, much longer fic than I expected.

Prompt: Maya is involved in a terrible accident some time after T&T which puts her into a coma for a few months. Phoenix visits her everyday, even after his disbarment, letting out all his feelings and loneliness. Then she finally wakes up…and she doesn't recognize him. She has amnesia.

* * *

March 2019

Their pasts had traveling side by side, unbeknownst to either of them, racing to meet at the same point. They seemed fated to collide into one another from the very beginning, their destinies intertwined in a tangled path of bloodshed and betrayal. The previous winter had been a difficult time for both of them, bringing old scars out into the public. But they had each other, had been there to comfort one another and shared much of the same pains. It seemed that their demons had been put to rest and they were finally free.

In many ways, things had been looking up. It was a strange blessing to share so much history with another person. To be able to look at them on the worst days and be greeted with understanding, not frustration. That the healing was not a journey neither of them had to make alone.

Life at Wright & Co. had begun to return to normalcy. Not long after the trial had ended Phoenix grabbed Maya and Pearl, rushing them out of the office and only telling them that he had a surprise waiting. He was happy to finally make good on that promise of taking Maya on her first boat ride, even if it was three years in the making. The look of genuine joy on her face made the costs inconsequential. She had been so unlike herself lately that her first smile in weeks was a sight to behold.

"I can't believe you went to all this trouble, Nick. A theme park? A boat rental? Burgers without me having to beg? How much did all of this cost you?" she had asked, completely moved by his gesture.

"Don't worry about it," he had said, for once not feeling the desire to playfully argue with her as he usually did. As much as he loved to complain and roll his eyes, he always smiled when she looked away.

"Hmm? That's a new one." She laughed as she put her hand in his and ran to the dock, Phoenix barely able to keep up.

Phoenix had made an effort to set aside time for him and Maya to enjoy some leisure. She needed the distraction most of all, but a part of him feared that letting her out of his sight would caused her to be whisked away again, trapping her somewhere he couldn't protect her. The nights were the most difficult, when Pearl had gone to bed and Maya's composure began to falter. Phoenix felt powerless and wished that he could do something more, anything more, for the one who had given him so much support over the years. He wanted to always be available when she needed him.

Together, he knew, they were unstoppable. Some days he thought Maya knew him better than he knew himself, often beating him to the punch before the words could leave his mouth. Phoenix also knew that, in time, they would both be back on track together and ready to take on the world. It seemed the time had come where they could finally stop chasing after phantoms in the dark. They were done racing against the clock.

But still he felt like he was running out of time.


	2. Chapter 1

April 2019

There are few things Phoenix finds more worrying than a call to his cell phone in the middle of the night.

"Hello?" he managed to force out, voice clouded by sleep.

"Hello? Mr. Wright? Can I speak with Mr. Phoenix Wright, please?" a woman asked.

"Y-yes, speaking." The urgency in her voice was enough to push the final lingering feelings of drowsiness away as Phoenix sat up in his bed.

"My name is Susan. I'm a nurse at the Hickfield Clinic downtown. Are you familiar with a Miss Maya Fey?"

Phoenix's voice caught in his throat as his vision began to fade.

"Mr. Wright?"

"Yes, sorry. Yes, I know Maya. We work together. W-well, she's a friend, too. A close friend. Really, I would consider her one of my clos–"

Phoenix took a deep breath as he realized he was beginning to ramble.

"Is she okay? Did something happen? Can I speak to her?"

"Actually," the nurse began, "I was hoping you could tell me if she has any family in the area. It's urgent that I get in contact with her next of kin."

"She… doesn't have any living family." The wounds were still fresh for them both and the words stung as they left his mouth.

"I see. In that case, Mr. Wright, if you wouldn't mind coming down there's some matters we need to discuss."

"I'm on my way now." In a moment he was out the door, racing to the bus stop.

* * *

Waiting outside to catch a bus during late night hours only added to Phoenix's growing fear, but his shaking hands would not have managed a bicycle ride well. As the pit in his stomach grew deeper, the bus finally brought him to his destination.

As Phoenix entered the clinic, the bright TV screens in the dismal waiting area confirmed his worst fears.

 _"We have an update on the massive traffic accident that occurred last night at approximately 11:30pm. Police and emergency medical personnel have finished clearing the area of vehicles and transferred all injured passengers to nearby facilities._

 _As of now, the accident is believed to have been caused when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel, veering out of his lane and into another nearby truck. The force of the collision pushed the trucks across the highway, resulting in a pileup of at least five confirmed vehicles. Among these were two personal cars and a public bus traveling from the train station to the more rural areas outside the city._

 _Fortunately, no deaths have yet to be reported. The accident resulted in 117 injuries, most of which were successfully treated by emergency medical services on-site. Currently, fifteen victims remain hospitalized, with three in critical condition. Stay tuned for further details."_

Suddenly, he regretted letting her go home that night. He knew that her usual stop was closed as a construction team worked on the rails. Maya had needed to get off the train at the stop before hers and take a bus the rest of the way these past few days, adding to her already lengthy commute. A couple of seemingly small adjustments had thrown her into the wrong place at the wrong time.

He could have offered to let her stay the night. She was under so much stress, and it had been so late, it would have been the most sensible thing to do.

He told himself he was trying to give her space and let her keep things on her own terms, that he was scared of pushing her away. And that was all true, but he saw what it had cost him.

Phoenix stood in place, completely frozen as the pieces began to fall into place.

"No deaths," he whispered to himself. "No deaths," he repeated like a mantra, holding on to shreds of hope.

Fear had taken hold of him, and Phoenix ran past the lobby and down one of the hallways, frantically reading the names next to the doors as he went. He turned the corner and on his left saw FEY, MAYA printed neatly on a mostly-empty chart. Phoenix paused for a moment to catch his breath and steeled himself as he reached for the doorknob, unsure of what he may encounter on the other side.

As Phoenix began to turn the handle the door swung inward and a young woman dressed in white stepped out, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Can I see her? Is she awake?" Phoenix had already begun to ask before the woman even had a chance to speak.

"Mr. Wright, I presume? I was the one who called you earlier this evening, well, morning I suppose."

It was the first time Phoenix had really become aware of the time, checking the clock on the wall and realizing that the sun would be rising any moment now.

"Miss Fey is not currently awake, but regardless I must inf-"

"Please," Phoenix pleaded, still hovering close to the door and extending his arm again toward the doorknob. "If I can just see her, it would put my mind to rest."

" _Mister Wright_ ," she said with just enough force in her voice to let him know that it was serious. "If you would..."

The nurse extended her arm toward the row of chairs lined across the opposite wall, and Phoenix moved to sit.

The nurse took a seat next to him and with a downcast expression she began.

"First and foremost, Miss Fey is in stable condition. Fortunately, her injuries were not life-threatening and we believe that in time, she will make a complete recovery."

She paused. "Though, there was one complication. The trauma that she sustained to her head caused her to fall into a coma as we worked to stabilize her. At this time, we can't be sure of how long it will be before she wakes. I didn't want you to talk in there unprepared and be shocked at what you'd find."

Phoenix's eyes appeared blank, and he stared forward at the door to Maya's room, motionless. "I need to see her."

Susan nodded as Phoenix got up and approached the door.

* * *

The door opened and revealed a small room, mostly dark except for a lamp next to the bedside. Maya lay peacefully with bandages covering the top of her head, a dark bruise visible on her forehead. More bandages covered her right arm, and Phoenix could see further bruising along her collarbone.

If it weren't for her appearance, Phoenix could almost convince himself that she was just resting. A gentle nudge and she'd be awake and asking if any nearby burger joints were still open, ready to walk out of here and put this behind them.

He never saw himself trying to believe in fairy tales.

Phoenix walked around Maya's bed and grabbed the visitor's chair by the window, pulling it closer to her bedside. He sat down and took her hand in his, half worrying that she was sore and still able to feel pain.

"Maya, it's Nick. I'm not sure if you can even hear me, but I wanted you to know that I was here. I'm here, Maya, and I'll continue to be here until you're ready to be out of that bed and nagging me about the TV channel." He tried his best to force a small laugh.

"I will never desert you." His voice cracked slightly as tears welled in his eyes and he struggled to maintain his composure. It was a promise worth repeating.

Phoenix sat in silence, still holding her hand as the sky was stained a bright orange behind him. It colored the stark white room as the sun slowly crept above the horizon, and for a moment she seemed lost among the hues, with his grasp as her only anchor.


	3. Chapter 2

For an early spring afternoon, the weather was lovely. Maya sat beside him at the top of a grassy hill, enjoying the view of the park around them.

"A picnic, though. Really, Nick?" Maya asked. "I didn't take you for the type."

"H-hey, just because I value my days in doesn't mean I can't appreciate the days I get to spend outdoors, too." he said.

"Oh? I'll have to remember that the next time there's a Special Course you're trying to find a way out of attending."

Phoenix laughed. "All right, all right. You've got me beat there."

Maya sighed contently and rested her head on his shoulder. "This is nice," she said softly. "This, I could get used to."

Phoenix reached around her shoulders and pulled her just a bit closer, savoring the moment between them. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

It had only been for a minute, but when he opened them the moon was full and the park was nearly pitch black. Realizing that Maya was no longer leaning against him, Phoenix frantically turned around to find her.

He was relieved when he saw her, standing not too far behind him with her back turned. Quickly he stood and ran over to her.

"Maya! Did I fall asleep?" Geez, maybe I am getting old, he mumbled under his breath.

"… Maya?"

She turned to face him with tears in her eyes.

"Why did you let me go home that night, Nick? Why didn't you stop me?"

"I…"

"Wouldn't I have been safer with you? Haven't I always been safer with you? There's plenty of room at the office, and I know if it came down to it you would've given me the pull-out bed and taken the couch for yourself," she said with the strongest voice she could maintain.

"Will you still search for me, Nick?"

Phoenix awoke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and feeling as if each heartbeat was a punch to the chest. It wasn't the first time he had seen her in dreams. He tried to remind himself that he couldn't have known, that she had taken that same route so many times before. But from one corner of his mind guilt and helplessness continued to eat away at him.

He glanced over at the clock beside his bed. The bright numbers read 3:31 AM, and Phoenix knew he should at least try to get a few more hours' worth of rest.

He reached across his nightstand and grabbed the small bottle of grape juice near the edge, leftover over from just a few hours earlier. He uncorked it and took a swig before returning it.

It would get him to sleep, and whether it made the dreams more or less vivid, he didn't care. Both were clearly becoming routine. 

* * *

Phoenix awoke again at a more reasonable hour, and began to get himself ready to visit Maya at Hickfield. More and more he felt the selfish need to speak with Mia, who had always been able to offer guidance when he needed it most.

Mia's own sister, and he hadn't even been the one to break the news to her.

He was grateful he had gotten to Pearl, no doubt bought some time by Kurain's lack of a reliable television signal. Phoenix would have been unable to forgive himself if she had found out about her cousin through the media.

She had handled the news about as well as he expected from a nine year old, though he tried his best to calm her fears, despite the fact that his own raged inside him.

"What do you mean, Mystic Maya's sick? Is she going to be okay?" she had asked.

"Pearls, Maya needs all her rest right now. In fact, she needs so much rest that she's sleeping all the time. And once she gets enough sleep, she'll be better and she can come home."

"But Mr. Nick," she said, tears starting to fall. "She'll wake up soon, right?"

Phoenix tried his best to smile. "I'm sure she will, Pearls. And I'll tell you what, I'll be with Mystic Maya every day, so that once she wakes up she won't be alone. I'll watch over her, Pearls, for as long as I need to."

"O-oh! Oh, Mr. Nick!" Phoenix's promise had seemed to spark something in Pearl. "You're so devoted! B-but of course," she brought her hands to her face and rested them on her cheeks. "You're Mystic Maya's special someone, after all!"

At a time like this, he couldn't bring himself to correct her.

He had hugged Pearl as tightly as he could, silently hoping that she wouldn't be without her beloved cousin for too long.

He spoke to the village's elders after Pearl, who had been much less forgiving. They had never been too fond of Phoenix to begin with, an outside man pulling their future Master into all sorts of trouble, but the fact that she had been so seriously injured on her way home from visiting him had been the final straw.

They had strongly suggested that he be on his way, and when he mentioned wanting to speak to Mia, they insisted that a village resident was much better suited to the task. Phoenix had the feeling that as along as Maya wasn't around to escort him, he would not be welcome in Kurain.

"I wish I could face you, Chief. I failed the most important task you gave me."

Phoenix wondered if maybe it had worked out for the best, if Maya's condition would just dig up memories of Diego.

As the days crawled by, he couldn't even feel comfortable in his own office. Phoenix had been turning away all of his prospective clients, and while it left his bank account balance low it also provided him with the chance to visit Maya daily.

He had become a familiar face at Hickfield, stopping by every day and spending hours at Maya's bedside. On more than one occasion he had fallen asleep in the chair and spent the night, waking up with a stiff neck in the morning. Phoenix frequently chatted with the nurses as they checked her vitals and replaced her IV, steeling himself in case the day came when they delivered news he was not ready to hear.

He spoke to Maya often, usually about the mundane or something he saw that day that reminded him of her. Once or twice he brought in a burger, half hoping that the smell of the grease could be enough to jolt her out of her slumber, half expecting her to unexpectedly wake up starving. He tried to eat it himself and always lost his appetite.

One afternoon, as Maya's absence hung particularly heavy over his spirit, he sat at her hospital bed, his own one-sided confessional.

"I've always hated hospitals. Too many memories I'd much rather forget." He paused.

"You know, Maya, I never told you this…" Phoenix began, resting his hand on top of hers. "Not that I was hiding it, but I thought I'd have time to wait for the right moment."

"During our last case, while you were still trapped in the Inner Temple, I wound up in the other clinic not too far from here. They treated me for a pretty nasty cold and I was back on my feet in no time, really."

Phoenix couldn't help but laugh at his own hesitation. "Look at me, I'm still trying to sugarcoat. Anyway, Maya, what I'm getting at is that when I heard you were locked in there alone, hopefully alone, and that there was a killer on the loose and potentially heading straight for you, I panicked. The only way to get to you was across the burning Dusky Bridge…"

"I know this is where you'd ask me, 'And you didn't see the flames, dummy?' but I did. Of course I did."

Describing it only made it seem more ridiculous. Phoenix was grateful there was no press in the area. What a headline: PHOENIX WRIGHT, RENOWNED DEFENSE ATTORNEY, RUNS ACROSS BURNING BRIDGE.

"Have I ever told you I'm afraid of heights?" He laughed again, full and loud this time, realizing the lengths - and heights - he would go to for her.

"None of it mattered. My only goal was to get across that bridge, flames be damned. I didn't make it, not surprisingly, and took quite a fall into Eagle River. I'm not even sure how I survived. All I remember is worrying about how I would reach you, then the frigid cold, and then nothing."

"So see, Maya? You didn't miss too much. I'm fine, really. Somehow I got out without a scratch. Maybe all that determination came through for me in the end."

The day stretched on toward evening and Phoenix was preparing to head home for the night when he remembered one last thing.

"Oh, Maya, I almost forgot. I haven't been taking clients these past few weeks, but I think I have a case. It's the first time I've ever been hired through a poker match."

Phoenix stood and began to retrieve his jacket from the coat rack in the room.

"I wasn't planning on taking the case, but the defendant has a young daughter and… I think of Pearls, you know? I don't want to see another little girl end up without her only parent again if I can help it."

"But still, something seems off and I can't put my finger on it. I can't back out now, but this nagging feeling tells me to get this case over with as fast as I can."

"Ah, I'm sure it's nothing." And with that, he left her room to finish his final preparations for the trial.


	4. Chapter 3

Everything had just seemed too perfect, too neat. In hindsight, it was obvious that a trap had been set for Phoenix. The sleeplessness and worry that had been plaguing him made him abrasive and reckless, and surely it have been obvious to everyone that he was on edge.

But then the verdict was read and Zak Gramarye's trial had ended. Zak had seemed sleazy, sure, but Phoenix didn't take him for the type to vanish without a trace and leave his young daughter behind. The rest was largely a blur now, and the only words ringing in his head, over and over, were forged evidence.

The judge warned him of the upcoming Bar Association review, not that it mattered. Even then, he had known what their decision would be.

In the moment, everything had come crashing down so fast that it felt like only an instant, a blink and then it was all over. As soon as Phoenix stepped outside the courthouse, however, time had slowed to a crawl.

His gut reaction had been to run, to just start running and not look back, to get lost in a crowd and just disappear like Zak had. Maybe if he ran far enough, the nightmare would end and his world would make some sense again. And then he thought of Maya, alone in that cold white room, and he knew he couldn't do it.

Badge or not, he still had Maya.

* * *

Once again, he found himself wide awake in the middle of the night, wondering how he could have been so careless. He was in such a rush to get the trial over with that he had used a piece of evidence that just seemed too convenient. He should have known better.

He did know better, but he had ignored that persistent voice in the back of his mind telling him something wasn't quite right.

He felt as much rage and grief as he did disgust. He scorned them all as he remembered how they stood in that silent courtroom, analyzing him. That smug prosecutor, so young and sure of himself in his first trial. Gavin must have been so proud to have been two steps ahead. The defendant, who manipulated his child into doing his dirty work. Misham, who was so eager to aid the corrupt and the guilty for the right price. Himself, for slipping when he could least afford it.

Phoenix can't help but wonder how the world will treat him now. The disgraced lawyer, the liar, the cheat, the fraud. It had only been a few hours since the news broke, and already those titles were being hurled at him.

Maybe the one blessing was not having to endure the pain with Maya. For once, she was free from the chaos his life so frequently attracted. Then again, he would now have to be the one to tell her, sooner or later.

If there is a later

He pushes the creeping thought back as best as he can.

Maya would have known the right things to say. She would have been just as angry and hurt, eager to get to the bottom of how he had been swindled. She may have even held him back, and this mess could have been prevented.

He missed her, and it was in this solitude that he needed her the most. He was alone in his pain, and the sorrow had already begun to eat away at him. Maya would have listened, would have made him laugh, would have told him that she believed in his innocence.

She was his rock.

"Please, Maya," he pleaded in a cracked voice caught between tears. "Please come back to me soon."

* * *

It was impossible not to notice that some of Hickfield's staff gave him strange looks now. They were too professional to say anything, of course, but he was sure that whispers about the disgraced attorney must have passed around the building.

He was sure it didn't help that he had ditched the suit for something more casual, but there was little point in dressing the part if he no longer held the role.

It had become such a routine now that he was sure he could get to the clinic in his sleep. He would stop by the visitor's desk, sign his name, and follow the halls to Maya's room. Phoenix had begun to spend more time there, finding little else to do outside of sitting in his office, which had started to feel like a prison.

There had been no change in her condition, and to him, that was all the more reason to keep up with his daily visits. She wasn't getting worse, he reminded himself, and the day would come when she opened her eyes.

He took his usual seat by her bedside.

"It's Nick. You'd laugh if you could see me," he said to her. "I look like a mess."

Phoenix paused. Even if she couldn't hear him, the words were still hard to say.

"I lost my badge yesterday, Maya. That's probably the part where you'd tell me to stop misplacing things..." he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. He could almost hear it in her voice.

"They think I paid to have evidence forged. Me, can you believe it? I can barely pay the rent."

"Maya, I don't think you would believe me if I told you. It was all too much. I was set up, and I took the bait. Someone called in a tip and they knew it was coming, and like an idiot I played right into it. The judge didn't even get a chance to read the verdict before the defendant ran out and disappeared."

"I'm... not even sure what to do right now. Can I prove my innocence? Where do I even begin?"

Phoenix ran his hands through his hair, briefing covering his face.

"That little girl I mentioned, the one who made me think of Pearls? I've started trying to track down one of her relatives. She's sitting in an orphanage right now and I don't want to think about her staying there. Her own father left her, the least I can do is try to help."

His voice dropped. "I can't take care of myself, so I might as well help Trucy before it's too late for her, too."

If only helping Maya could be so simple as making some phone calls and digging up records. He had all the time in the world now, but all he could do for Maya was wait.

She looked so frail, swallowed up by the sheets and the wires and tubes. She was still bandaged and bruised, and any illusions of Maya enjoying a peaceful sleep were shattered by the pallor of her skin and the coolness of her hands.

"I never expected to not be able to practice law one day. I feel like a stranger at my own office."

Phoenix sighed. "I haven't told anyone besides you. Well, I'm sure Edgeworth knows, but everyone else will have to hear about it on their own. I don't want sympathy, I don't want pity. There's nothing that can be done for me now."

"I can't stand not having you here with me, but at least you're away from the tabloids and photographers. They've had a field day with finally getting some 'dirt' on the great Phoenix Wright."

Phoenix sat in silence next to Maya now, realizing that if he continued speaking he may not be able to stop. It had been a rough twenty-four hours and he needed to get his head on straight.

"You know I'm innocent, Maya, and frankly, that's all that matters to me right now."

He stayed for another hour, taking in the calmness of her hospital room. She would be here with him soon; she always returned to him.


	5. Chapter 4

May 2019

Phoenix had resolved to hold on to his hope, despite the weeks passing by and Maya still remaining comatose. Once or twice he had been in her room to see her eyes move beneath her eyelids or her hand tense ever so slightly, running to the nurses only to be told that it's just an involuntary movement.

The chart at the foot of her bed had remained the same for weeks: GCS - Severe.

"So it doesn't mean she's waking up? It's not even a sign?" he had asked, the desperation evident in his voice.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Wright. But people wake up from all sorts of comas. Personally, I've seen someone regain consciousness after five years."

Some part of his expression must have dropped, because the nurse quickly tried to follow-up her previous statement. "N-not that I mean to suggest it could be that long for Ms. Fey. It's just that, you know, you can't always predict these things. Sometimes people make surprising recoveries very quickly."

Her appreciated her optimism, but not having been able to abstain from his own layman internet research, he knew the odds for recovery from a coma like this weren't particularly high.

Another thought that he tried to silence each day.

"I've seen you here, Mr. Wright. I know you're not giving up," she added, trying to pick up the mood.

"Lawyers are stubborn. That goes for former ones, too."

He smirked and thanked the nurse, turning back into Maya's room and shutting the door behind himself.

Phoenix walked over to the small mirror hanging on one of the walls and attempted to fix himself up as best as he could. He straightened out his sweatshirt and readjusted his hat, fully aware that there wasn't too much room for improvement outside of a shave and some new clothes.

"You know Trucy made me this hat?" he said while pulling it further above his brow. With Maya, there was no need for playing the role of the mysterious man. "It's not really my style, but she's just a kid and she worked so damn hard on it."

Somewhat satisfied, he took a seat by the window, looking outside.

"I hope I've done the right thing by taking her in. I mean, I couldn't just leave her by herself, but am I really cut out to be a father? I feel like I'm already making so many mistakes with her."

"The poor kid gets left alone so much, even after moving in with me. She tells me she wants to get a job to help out with the rent. What kind of eight year old is concerned about paying the bills? What type of life is that for a child to have?" Phoenix turned toward Maya for just a moment, as if awaiting a response.

Turning back toward the window and hiding his face, he continued, "I think she got it into her head after I brought her to the Borscht a couple times. I didn't mean to, I know that's no place for a little girl, but I didn't want to leave her home alone. It was only supposed to be just the one time, for a short while, but she starts whispering in my ear and I realize she has a… talent. She can call someone's bluff better than I ever could."

His sighs, feeling the familiar tremor in his hand. Phoenix reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flask, opening it and taking a swig before putting it away.

"Maya, I've… had her help me win some matches." He nearly chokes the words out, feeling the guilt as they're said aloud for the first time. "Not only did Trucy get stuck with me, she now shares the great privilege of the Borscht's offer to hire me as their 'pianist' to oversee their poker circuit."

"But, you know something? She still looks at me like I'm a storybook hero, not the guy who works in a freezing cold dive bar."

Phoenix turned his head once more and this time he decided to stand and move his chair closer to Maya's bed, facing her.

His voice got very low as he spoke again. "She called me 'Daddy' for the first time the other day. I know I should've been overjoyed, but it felt like a kick to the ribs. I don't deserve it, not for just scraping by and letting her get mixed up in my problems. That's not what a father does."

"I've been wondering, lately, if I'm just trying to chase after something I lost. I can't help but think that a selfish part of me took Trucy in to try and rebuild what I had with you and Pearls. I didn't want her to wind up in an orphanage, but she's the only sense of normalcy I have in my life right now. I wanted to latch onto that so badly, but maybe I'm just dragging her down with me."

He was silent for a few moments, listening to the quiet beeps of her heart monitor and the hum of the numerous other machines working to keep her alive. She was a series of wires and tubes, fully intertwined with Hickfield.

 _"I hate hospitals,"_ he had told her a few weeks prior, yet his hours at her bedside had become the only time when the old him could still drift to the surface.

"I keep thinking about Pearls, about how worried and confused she must be. I miss her."

Gently he enveloped Maya's hand in his, careful not to disturb any of the needles pressed into her skin.

"I miss you, too."

* * *

"The night terrors have gotten worse," he said after a while, breaking the silence. "I keep reliving the night that I raced here for the first time, hearing that you had been hurt. And the next thing I know, I'm back in that courtroom and everything bleeds together."

"Trucy hasn't heard me yet, and little by little I'm getting better at keeping quiet until it passes. I think having a bit of a 'sleep aid' on hand helps, too."

Sleep aid, grape juice. Euphemisms made it easier, and he could almost believe them. More than he could ever believe himself saying _I'm an alcoholic, Maya._

"I could go to a doctor, but what are they going to tell me? 'Eat better, sleep better, and find the source of your stress.' No kidding! Thanks doc, my eyes have been opened."

He followed it with an empty laugh.

"There hasn't been a day that it isn't running through my mind. The accident, the trial, all of it. I can't help but feel like I'm missing the big picture, that there's something there I'm not seeing yet."

"How perfect it all was and how quick everyone turned on me and condemned me. They knew why my assistant wasn't with me, that you were lying in a hospital bed. Did that just make it even easier to rip my badge away?"

" _So desperate to win a big case and pay those hospital bills that he'd forge evidence,_ " he said in a mocking tone, each word slipping out with rage. " _What a tragic hero_."

Phoenix's hands gripped the rail at the side of Maya's bed tightly. Tears had begun to well in the corners of his eyes, but he held them back. Conscious or not, Maya's bedside was not the place.

"Only one of them defended me, and I had never even met the guy before. Kristoph Gavin... He seemed so calm and level-headed, and he stared down the Bar Association and told them that he would have to vote against my disbarment. Not that it made much of a difference in the end..."

"But I remember how he looked at me, and with such a serene smile he said 'I'm sorry to hear about your assistant. I can't imagine how difficult all of this must be for you right now.' He was sincere, but an enormous chill ran down my spine and I felt sick to my stomach." Even now, he noticed, something crept up the base of his neck, gnawing at the back of his mind, as if to say _getting warmer._

"I have to know why this happened. No matter how long it takes, I know that this is something I have to do or I'll never be able to rest. I can't help but feel like it's not over and something's waiting around the corner."

Phoenix sighed, slightly self-conscious about how the words would flow effortlessly while he was here. He had spent much of his adult life hiding in his own thoughts, and now he was laying his insecurities bare.

He checked the clock on the wall, seeing that it would be at least two hours before Trucy came home from school. She had adapted well to him keeping odd hours and not always being home when she was, but he owed it to her to at least try.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," he said, reaching into his sweater for the slit along the lining. "I was going to leave this here so that you would have something familiar when you wake up, but, uh..." He retrieves a copy of _The Complete Steel Samurai, Vol. 1_ and holds it in his hands, hesitant to place it down.

"I still have some time, yet." He takes the first disc from its case and walks over to the small TV in the room. The built-in DVD player was initially a surprise, but admittance to the Intensive Care Unit was not a short-term stay, and a way for visitors and patients alike to pass some time was a small luxury.

Phoenix puts the disc in the tray and presses the play button, returning to his seat at her side as the familiar theme began to play.


	6. Chapter 5

June 2019

Phoenix glanced at the clock on the wall as he stood up from the Hydeout's poker table and prepared to head home. It was nearly midnight, and his opponent, finally convinced that he was not going to win against Phoenix, had finally retired for the night. Sometimes his poker games saw him matched with some persistent players, and it was not uncommon for them to stretch into the night. It was an annoyance, but considering the market for terrible-piano-playing-poker-champions was not particularly large these days, it was a necessary part of the job.

He was grateful, at least, that Trucy had asked to sleepover at a friend's house this weekend. For once, he didn't need to feel guilty about coming home so late.

As he climbed the Hydeout's stairs and entered the Borscht Bowl Club's public space, silently cursing the manager for scheduling such a late game as he went, he heard the tune of his cellphone's ringtone.

"Hello?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you so late, Mr. Wright, but I'm calling from Hickfield. It's nothing to be alarmed about, but there's been a slight change in Ms. Fey's condition. I thought you would appreciate being informed immediately."

"I'm on my way," was the response that came naturally to him as he quickly forgot his fatigue. He hung up and left for the clinic.

* * *

When he arrives at her room several nurses are coming and going, likely moving her limbs to prevent sores and doing their best to limit any atrophy. He opts to move away from the door and takes a seat in the hall, to respect their duties and Maya's privacy but also because he knows it would shatter what remains of the illusion that she is only peacefully sleeping. He never asks too many questions.

Finally, they begin to leave her room, and the doctor that presumably called him stops when she sees him. "Come in," she says, holding the door open.

"We're seeing some more brain activity from Ms. Fey. Sometimes she stirs a bit, and other times she relies less on her ventilator, but now she's back in the state you usually she her in. I can't say for sure if it means anything, as it's very normal for coma patients to fluctuate into varying degrees of consciousness. Although it's an improvement from what we're used to, I wouldn't want to mislead you, either."

He feels hope rising in his chest again. "Is it likely to continue?"

"It's hard to say, but we'll be monitoring her closely."

"Thank you for calling me." She nods and turns to leave the room, leaving him alone with Maya.

* * *

He's not too sure how much time has passed or if he's imagined the murmur that escaped her lips once or twice.

"It's just you and me now, huh? From my lawyer days, I mean." He's staring off to the side as he speaks.

"Larry's off doing... whatever it is he does these days, Edgeworth and Franziska are overseas, Gumshoe's busy with the force, Pearls is under careful watch in Kurain... I wasn't expecting anything, but for what it's worth, Edgeworth did reach out to me since then. I knew it would be impossible for him not to find out, of course, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I told him what I would've told anyone else: that if there is something to be done, I need to be the one to do it."

Phoenix turns to look at her, once again noticing just how thin and weary she looks. But there's something else there this time, something that sets the gears of his mind turning, telling him to take comfort in the fact that she's here, she's still here.

"Sometimes I think I feel myself slipping away," he says. "Slipping into someone - some _thing_ \- I don't want to be. I keep trying to fight it, but I feel the cracks forming. I feel myself growing impatient and bitter. If this is me after two months, what will I be after two years? Will I still be the same Phoenix Wright?"

"But when I see you, Maya, I see myself, too. I see who I was before the trial and all of the good memories that we shared. I see your laughter and your unstoppable energy, and I think now I truly see how much that kept me fighting."

"You are the last connection to my old life," he says half crying, half laughing. "Now _that's_ one that makes me sound like an old man. A few weeks and I'm already longing for 'the good old days.'"

"They were pretty good, weren't they?"

* * *

She's become more responsive to the staff's touches, though her bursts of movement are small and erratic. It's never enough that she pulls all the way through, and inevitably she slips back into silence once more.

He's there when her eyes open for the first time, darting around the room and alternating between seemingly focusing on nothing and trying so desperately to take in everything. He panics, caught somewhere between shock and joy, and rushes to get a nurse in the room.

"This is good," she tells him, "but she still has a way to go."

As quickly as her eyes opened they shut again, and if the nurse had not been there to see it Phoenix would wonder if it was all a trick of his own mind.

He continues to talk to her, only in smaller amounts and filled with words of encouragement. "You're strong," he tells her. "Always have been and always will be."

"I don't know if you hear me," he always says, but he knows they're for himself as much as they are for her.

The days drag on and she'll speak sometimes, usually without context and barely intelligible, but it's her voice that he's hearing, and right about now he could stand to hear it say anything.

Her color has improved, ever so slightly, and for once he sees life in her features, trying to find its way back in.

It's late in the afternoon when her eyes open once again, this time with a hint of sharpness behind them.

"Maya?" he asks, taking her hand. "Maya, can you see me?"

"Who..." she trails off, looking for words. She adjusts her head slightly, far too weak to move any further. "Who are you?"

"Oh come on, Maya," he smirks, voice cracking as he chokes back a cry that's threatening to begin. "I don't look _that_ bad, do I?" It's so like her to find humor here, to have her first real words be ones to lighten the mood. _His_ mood.

"Who are you?" she repeats, and this time there's fear in her voice, and it dawns on him that she's not teasing.

He pulls his hand away. This is not how things should be.

He yells for a nurse.

* * *

 _"Post-traumatic amnesia."_

The words are still floating around his mind. He had not been naive enough to think that she would immediately be her old self, ready to run out of here and get something to eat, but the possibility of amnesia had not occurred to him.

 _"You can talk to her,"_ they told him. " _It won't do any harm._ "

Maybe not to her.

 _"But I should warn you, Mr. Wright. It's very likely that she won't just be unable to remember, but that she'll be easily confused. Be careful not to overwhelm her."_

He wasn't prepared for losing her a second time.

When he enters her room again she's still awake and in the same position as when he left. He returns to his seat and is determined to hold onto his composure long enough to speak with her.

"I'm sorry for startling you earlier, Maya. My name is Ph-" he cuts himself off. "Nick. I'm, er, I was a lawyer. You and I worked together."

"Oh! My sis is a lawyer. Mia Fey, maybe you've heard of her?"

His breath catches in his throat and he wonders if he can do this, or if the unexpected turns will eventually break him.

"We, uh, we've met a few times," he stammers.

 _If Mia's alive..._

In an instant it all dawns on him. _It's not just Mia, it's Morgan, Godot, Dahlia..._

 _Misty_.

He can't crush her over and over again. He can't watch her live it all at once, for the first time, completely alone.

"You must have been a pretty great boss to be visiting me here. Wait, I worked with a lawyer?" she asks, pulling him out of his spiraling thoughts.

"Yeah. It's kind of a long story. Your sister suggested it, actually."

"Well if Sis recommended you, I must be in good hands." She smiles weakly, like she's looking at an old friend. Or someone who should be an old friend. "So, why aren't you a lawyer anymore? Did you get tired of it?"

"Something like that."

"I wish I could say more, but it's nice to meet you, Nick," she says with a tired voice. She's still so frail.

"It's good to see you again, Maya," and with that, he feels the need to excuse himself to the hallway.

There would be time to mourn later, when he's in the privacy of his own bedroom, so _get it together_ , he tells himself. He owes it to her, the lost Maya, to grieve her absence. His assistant may be back, but she's not _his_ Maya.

But for now, it's his turn to put on a brave face.

* * *

"She will have to learn how to walk again," the doctor explains to him, though he's hardly processing the words being said. "She's lost a lot of muscle. I would recommend physical therapy, as often as she would be able to attend."

"I'll take her to any appointments, whatever she needs. But what about her memory?"

"As I'm sure you know, Mr. Wright, there is no cure for amnesia. The mind is very complex, and sometimes memory loss can sort itself out over time, but in the case of a severe injury like Ms. Fey's, I cannot say how much she will be able to regain for certain. There are many types of treatments out there, and I think the best place to start would be building on what she _does_ remember. But at any rate, it will take time."

"I have nothing but time these days," he replies dryly.

"Just remember, what Ms. Fey needs the most right now is patience and understanding. It will not be an easy road, and she will have her moments of becoming disoriented. Expect her to have trouble making new memories, too. She may forget things you told her only minutes before, and I can tell you that as difficult as it may be for you, she will be just as lost. She's going to feel like a stranger in her own body, and it may make her irritable or frightened, but I want you to know that as unpredictable as she may seem in the coming months it is completely normal for her condition."

"I'm not going anywhere," he says with a smirk, and that familiar fire is reignited once again.

* * *

At the end of the month they tell him she can come home. At first he's not too sure where "home" should be, but decides that despite his readiness to take her in she would probably be safest and most comfortable in Kurain. He can barely provide for himself and Trucy as it is.

When she's ready to be discharged, he helps the staff lift her and get her settled in a wheelchair so that he's better prepared to do it on his own later. She's limp in his arms, and he's reminded of how many times he's felt her like this, weak and unable to stand on her own.

Her papers are filled out and they make their way to the elevator. She's alert today, though she asks him all sorts of questions he's not ready to answer. He has a lot of work ahead of him, though they have accomplished so much together already that it just feels like another trial with a different set of rules.

He pushes her to the doors and they emerge outside, where she's awestruck at how lively this corner of the city is at lunchtime. She is one more part of what will become his secret mission, and there's much to be done, but a quick stop for burgers is first on the list.

He had once said that if it came down to it, there are many things he would do all over again for her. Becoming partners once more would simply have to be one of them.


End file.
